July 4th!

Finally!! A four day weekend to sit back, relax, and enjoy and learn about our new surroundings. It has been a tough couple weeks with moving in so quickly and starting our 10 hour day work schedule while getting accustomed to the 3 hour time change. But now, finally, we have some time off. Independence Day was uneventful. There was much hype surrounding the July 4th fireworks around Lake Union and Elliot Bay, and being the adventurous couple that we are, we stayed home and watched it on the couch. I know it sounds lame, and I am always up for things, but thinking about facing all those crowds and traffic and getting lost wasn’t too appealing. I'm getting old. So we had a nice day of relaxing around the house and we made some hot dogs and watermelon and watched the fireworks on our new flat screen TV that I bought for the house! We ended up watching the Boston fireworks instead because they had the Boston Pops play with Rascall Flatts and Amy wanted to hear them. Plus, it made me nostalgic in those college days where we would venture from campus onto the Mass Ave. bridge or to the Cambridge side of the Charles to see the Pops and fireworks.

July 5th



The next day we had plans to attend the annual Seattle Beerfest, located in Seattle Center. We had plans to meet up with a co-worker of mine, Lieon, and his girlfriend. We parked by SafeCo field where the Seattle Mariners play and walked to the monorail where we took the train right into the center of the city. Being our second time around, we felt more comfortable getting around, and we soon found the little park which was used as the beer fest grounds. Located almost directly under the Space Needle, there were 26 stations which

all had about 4-6 beers offered!! Now, I admit, I do like my occasional Sam Adams, and Coronas on the beach, and, except for my brief stint with my Mr. Beer home brew kit which produced a non-potable liquid, I know little about beers, let alone have access to hundreds of different beers from around the world. From lagers, to ales, to IPAs, to lambics, to wheat beers, to barley beers, and to meads, we tried dozens of different kinds. We even stood in a line of probably 200+ people to try 2 “super kegs” of beer. Now I don’t know what the big deal was, but there was a long line, so we stood in it. Apparently these beers were aged 30 years in scotch soaked wooden barrels and as we approached the front

of the line, they said they were running out of one of the beers. Lucky for me, the guy yells, I got one more glass of this beer left, so I put out my glass, and he congratulated me on being the last one. I heard a lot of groans from the people behind me as Amy and I walked back to meet with our friends. After trying the concoction, I still don’t know what the fuss was about, because it tasted like someone put a cigarette in prune juice and left it there for a couple weeks. But, as my friend the beer connoisseur, Jim says, "you don't have the palate to appreciate good beer." After sobering up a bit and listening to the bands play on stage, we sat on the grass and looked up at the Space Needle, we were finally here. Here's Amy enjoying some tasty 30 year old scotch soaked beer. 

Next, we took the monorail back to downtown and went to the Mariners game where they were playing the awful Detroit Tigers who spent too much money in off season acquisitions with nothing to show for it. The stadium was great, and the street leading up to the stadium is filled with vendors, much like Yawkey Way. We got a kettle corn from the vendor, as
the stadium has no restrictions on bringing food in!! The layout of the field is awesome, and the weather was a cool 70 degrees. We were advised to try the famous garlic fries, but after drinking beer all day, neither one of us felt the need to indulge. We did indulge though, in one of the best
BBQ sandwiches I ever had. We had good seats down the first base line, but the game was a little boring. Both the fans and the game were very quiet actually. I guess I’m spoiled, as every Red Sox game in Fenway Park is an incredibly exciting time, win or lose, no matter who we play. Please forgive my East Coast snobbery, but I miss my good ol' Boston days. Anyway, the ending of the game was great with the Mariners hitting a 2 run HR in the 8th to win the game. I can’t wait till July 21st when the RED SOX COME TO TOWN!! Since leaving college I have seen the Red Sox play on the road every time, and they have lost the last 3, so I’m hoping to turn around the luck, or I can’t go to the games anymore. Here's me making a great catch to save a walk off bottom of the ninth HR :)
Tomorrow, we are going to the Aquarium, take a boat tour of Elliot Bay, and take the Underground tour of Seattle, with photos to come. Hope you all enjoyed……until next issue.